


Night Unfurls Its Splendor

by obsessivepropulsive



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Also fluff, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Haunted House, Smut, also ben solo is awkward af but we already knew that, there's a lot of phantom of the opera going on too, they are both dumb virgins because why not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 13:17:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21198284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsessivepropulsive/pseuds/obsessivepropulsive
Summary: His only saving grace at this point was the costume. That, and the fact that he was carrying her around a haunted house. All things considered, they really fit in quite nicely.Maybe that’s how she’ll see it when she wakes up, he thought. Then – God, I’m fucked.





	Night Unfurls Its Splendor

**Author's Note:**

> i actually wrote this a year ago and of course didn't finish it time for halloween.
> 
> so, uh, here we are?
> 
> this is awkward and goofy and fluffy and smutty - don't expect much else.

_ I’m going to get arrested.  _

The statement paraded itself around Ben’s mind, stomping on any shred of rationality he had left. 

_ I’m going to get arrested for kidnapping. I’m going to go to jail. Uncle Luke was right – I am a complete fuck up.  _

His only saving grace at this point was the costume. That, and the fact that he was carrying her around a haunted house. All things considered, they really fit in quite nicely. 

_ Maybe that’s how she’ll see it when she wakes up,  _ he thought. Then –  _ God, I’m fucked.  _

\--------------------------------------

It was hard to say no to Leia Organa. Even if you were her son. Even if you were a grown-ass man who had his own life.

“Mom, I’m 33 years old. I have work to do.” He knew it sounded like he was whining, and that he really didn’t really have that much to do. He also knew that there was  _ no way in hell _ he was dressing up like some phantom and parading around some charity haunted mansion for a whole weekend.

“ **Benjamin Organa Solo** ,” she threatened, enunciating his last name like it was contagious disease. “This event is very important to me and my foundation. I need your help. Also, you owe me. Who do you think convinced your Uncle Luke to hire you after you left that asshole Snoke?”

_ Fuck. She was right.  _

He had heard them arguing months ago – the three of them, actually. His father had decided to show up for once, hugging Ben as if he were made of delicate crystal and could shatter at any moment. It had taken a full-on nervous breakdown for his son to leave First Order Publishing a few days earlier. Crumbling had not been completely out of the realm of possibility at that moment.

“That’s what I thought,” Leia winked. And then, pressing a kiss to his cheek, added, “It’s only for three nights. And the costume is already in your closet waiting.”

\-----------------------------------------

As soon as he had pulled the mask out of the rental bag, he knew it would obscure his vision terribly. A blinding white, and only covering one eye, it was a jarring contrast to the all-black suit and cape that comprised the rest of the ensemble.

“The Phantom of the Opera” _ ,  _ the tag read.

_ Maybe I should watch the movie before I go _ , he thought.

Four hours later, Ben suddenly understood why his mother told him to meet her in the room that looked like a stage. 

_ And Dear Lord, was that Hux? With a keyboard? An electronic keyboard with a pipe organ function? _

He had one job – stand on the stage, look mysterious, and occasionally jump out and scare the visitors walking through.  _ Easy _ .

\------------------------------------------------------

_ Easy _ , he scoffed to himself. Now he was carrying what he estimated to be about 125 pounds of dead weight in his arms through the back exit of the haunted house, up two flights of stairs, and to the private suit that his mother kept at the top of her office building. 

_ I should really see if she has any friends and family here looking for her. _

_ I should probably let Mom know what happened. _

She suddenly made a soft cooing sound and, drawing her arms up, actually nestled into his chest, eyes still closed.

_ Fuck that _ , he decided.  _ She needs to be somewhere calm and quiet. And she can’t wake up alone. _

The third floor office room had a large, comfortable couch that fit her slight frame with room to spare. He glanced out the window and noted that he didn’t hear police sirens. Yet. 

_ If I had to jump out the window to escape, would I only break one leg, or would it be both? _

_ \---------------------------------------------- _

The summer had just started when he first saw her. He had been back in town for a week or two, already working for Luke full-time. 

Ben appreciated the opportunity to help run the old bookstore, he really did. He certainly didn’t need the money, given his family history, but he needed the distraction. Anything to help wipe away the memories of where he had spent the last ten years of his life. 

However, the used book store was cramped, and cluttered, and honestly it made Ben a little claustrophobic. And if he had to listen to his uncle tell another customer that it was his calling to to “keep the past from dying,” then Ben might pull down a shelf of books on him.

So on his break, instead of hiding in the back room and eating a sandwich, he decided to walk to the art store around the corner.

Not that Ben was an artist – he had somehow managed to fail even middle-school art. But he was quite good at calligraphy. In fact, he had been so good that it had drawn the attention of his peers, who informed him at the ripe age of thirteen that he was a “pussy” and should “man up.” It was the first fight Ben had ever been in. He won. 

When he left college to join Snoke, he threw his set in the trash. 

Now, he needed a new one.

_ Rebel Arts _ was airy and colorful and had the clean, sharp smell of turpentine lingering about it. But that wasn’t what caught Ben’s attention. His eyes immediately focused in on the girl behind the counter.

She was thin, but strong, and moved with purpose. She had a beige apron on, and tights, with cute brown work boots. Her hair was pulled back into three buns that bounced with each step she took. When she looked up to welcome him, he was immediately transfixed by the freckles across her nose.

“Hi!” she chirped, a cheerful smile across her face, “Can I help you find something?”

“Uh. Calligraphy. Calligraphy stuff. You know. Supplies. A pen, and some nibs, and a few wells of ink…” Ben trailed off, suddenly aware that he was rambling.

“Ahh! Do you do calligraphy?” the girl asked excitedly. 

_ Rey. Her nametag says Rey. DON’T SAY HER NAME. That would be creepy. _

“Well, I used to, and I’d like to start again, Rey.” 

_ Fuck. _

Her nose wrinkled as she grinned and Ben suddenly felt like his pants were entirely too tight and the room had just heated up ten degrees.

“Well, I find calligraphy an amazing skill,” Rey gushed earnestly, “I wish I was able to do it.....”

She trailed off, looking his way expectantly. 

_ Oh. My name. Wait, she wants to know my name? What is my name? _

“Ben. Ben Solo” He stuck out his hand to shake hers.

_ Smooth move, dumbass. You met the one beautiful girl who likes calligraphy and you shake her hand like a business associate? This is why you’re still a virgin.  _

“You okay, Ben?”

“Yeah. Yes. Sorry. Just got lost in thought for a moment.” He realized he was still holding onto her hand and let go, smiling apologetically. 

“Well, let me show you where we keep our stuff. Hopefully you can find everything that you need.”

_ I already have _ **, ** Ben thought to himself, but just nodded in agreement.

\------------------------------------------------

Ben became a frequent customer at  _ Rebel Arts.  _

Thank God he had his own apartment, and didn’t have to explain to anyone else the steadily growing clutter of calligraphy supplies. He also didn’t have to explain why he suddenly needed to purchase lotion and tissues in bulk quantities. 

“Yeah, I completely knocked over my blue ink,” Ben smiled sheepishly several days later. He told Rey about working at the bookstore. In return, she shared with him her dream of illustrating children’s books.

“I somehow misplaced the three pens I bought last week!” Ben shrugged his shoulders and forced a laugh. It was his fifth visit at this point. He learned that Rey grew up in England, and lived with her friend Finn, and her shampoo smelled like rosemary when she leaned in to give him his change.

“I think the nibs I bought were defective. It’s only been two weeks, and they snapped so easily?” Ben only felt a teeny bit guilty about lying to such a beautiful woman week after week. He felt even worse when she confided in him that she grew up in the foster system, and actually chose her own last name at 18. It was unique, and oddly Rey. Rey Erick – the name of a character from her favorite story growing up.

October brought Ben to the store in a flannel shirt, asking about paper to replace the stack he must have left out in the rain. Rey eyed him suspiciously. “For someone graceful enough to do calligraphy, you sure have a lot of accidents.”

“I’ll try to be more careful, then.” Ben rubbed the back of his neck nervously. 

“Please don’t,” she whispered under her breath. 

\----------------------------------------

Ha hadn’t seen her at first, in the haunted house. 

A large group had come in. Young people, laughing and shrieking and pushing one another. 

_ What the hell? _ Ben decided,  _ I’ll give them something to scream about.  _

He had just pulled off what he considered to be a pretty imposing laugh, and positioned himself to jump off the stage into the crowd when he saw her off to the side.

He hesitated, catching himself on the edge of the stage. The apron was gone – she was wearing a light, gauzy pale dress, fringed with lace. Her hair was half down, her lips glossy, and her eyes were wide and awestruck. 

_ Was she scared? Was that suddenly turning him on? _

He immediately thought back to the last time he had seen her at the store. It had been three days ago. He made up some excuse about trying a new oblique pen. He had worn his favorite jeans, and a tight black tee shirt. He had shaved, and trimmed his hair. When he asked her about her Halloween plans, she had laughed and touched his arm.

He didn’t tell her about his recurring Halloween fantasy. The one that involved her, a Sailor Moon costume, no panties and his kitchen counter. 

He had tried to look her in the eyes without thinking about it. He had tried to tell her that he thought she was smart. And funny. And resilient. And beautiful.

He had tried to ask her out. Maybe she would want to get coffee? Or dinner? Or just be willing to be seen with him in public somewhere?

Instead, predictably, he had left the store and fantasized about her for the rest of that afternoon.

And now, here she was, gawking at him like he was a dream. Or a nightmare?

He suddenly became aware of movement beside him. Turning to see around the mask, he suddenly lost his balance, stumbling from the stage, down to the floor, and directly into  _ her _ . 

\---------------------------------------------------

“Ben?”

He had been staring out the window, trying to decide who would be a better phone call to make from jail. He assumed kidnappers got one call like everyone else. His mother would completely lose her shit for a couple of days, but Luke…Luke would torment him about it for the rest of his life.

“Ben? Is that you?”

He was clearly no longer in charge of his body, and it had made the executive decision to move immediately to her side.

“Where am I, Ben?”

“Hey! Hey Rey! You’re in my mother’s office. The top floor of the haunted house. I DID NOT kidnap you.”

“Okay…” Rey looked at him with a newfound sense of alarm. 

“No! What I mean is, I ran into you. And knocked you out. And I picked you up. And carried you here. And waited with you, to make sure you were better. You don’t need to be scared.”

“I’m not afraid,” she replied. “Why would I be?”

_ I don’t know. I’m fucking terrified.  _ Ben blinked harder than necessary. 

“So, you’re the Phantom, huh?” 

Ben was suddenly aware he still had the mask on. “Damnit. Sorry,” he laughed, pulling it off.

“You know, the Phantom of the Opera is my favorite story.” Rey tucked her lips into a shy smile.

Realization dawned over Ben. “Your name – the Erick! It’s _ that _ Erick?”

She nodded, excitedly, “So you’ve seen it?”

Ben wanted to lie, and tell her it was his favorite too, but he found the truth tumbling out. “Actually, I saw it a few hours ago for the first time. But really, Erick? Wouldn’t most girls love Christine?

Rey looked delightfully offended. “Absolutely not. Christine was an idiot. She chose Raul. The Phantom was tall, and dark and handsome. And strange, definitely strange. He wasn’t the safest choice, but he was the one who truly captured her heart. It would have been an easy choice for me.”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?” His heart was beginning to race, his black suit pants somehow shrinking again. 

Rey was still lying on her back on the couch, her hair fanned out beneath her and her dress swirled around her legs.

_ She looks like an angel. Does fucking an angel get you a ticket to heaven, or hell? _

“Yeah,” she said. She reached up, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him in closer.

“I would have gone with the Phantom.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Ben had kissed girls before. Playing spin the bottle in middle school. That weird thing that happened after prom with his date. Watching a terrible movie on an awkward date with a girl he met on Tindr.

Nothing, none of this compared to kissing Rey. She kissed him like she was starving.

He knew she liked to eat. He had once watched her devour a burrito as he pretended to carefully consider felt-tip pens. It had been one of the most arousing things he had ever witnessed in his entire life.

And now, here she was in his arms, nipping her way down his neck as he tried to consider what amazing thing he must have done in his past life to deserve this blessing. She abruptly changed course, flicking out her tongue to draw in his earlobe, nipping it gently. 

“Ben.” Her voice was somewhere between a whisper and a moan, and the warmth of her breath on his ear made his cock twitch in his pants.

He could hear the hesitance in her voice the second time she whispered his name. He pulled back immediately, confused to find sadness swimming in her eyes.

_ It was only a matter of time before she came to her senses. Don’t pretend like you didn’t see this coming, Solo. _

“Ben,” she began for the third time, eyes cast down at a spot on the floor. “Why have you never asked me out?”

A cool, relaxed laugh was what he was going for. Not the nervous giggle he found slipping from his lips.

“Do you know how many times I played that scenario out in my head? I imagined every way I could think of. And in every version, you said no.”

Rey’s eyebrows wrinkled together, her nose upturning in a scoff. “And why would I say no?”

“Because you’re gorgeous. And strong. And smart. And funny.” Ben realized he had been holding his breath, and sucked a mouthful of air in sharply. “And I am 33 years old. I work in my uncle’s bookstore. And if this scar on my face wasn’t an indicator enough, I fuck everything up. I have nothing to offer you. And on top of it all, I’ve never done anything like this before.”

Rey giggled.

_ Is she laughing at me? The window is still an option. I can deal with a few shattered kneecaps. _

“Ben. Do you always overthink this much?”

_ Yes.  _

“No.”

“Ben,” she took his face in her delicate hands and looked into his eyes, “Do you like me? Do you want to be with me?”

“More than anything,” he whispered back, recognizing the desperation in his voice and looking down at his own giant hands in shame.

“Good. Because I haven’t stopped thinking about you since you showed up in my store. And I like bookstores. A lot. Also, I think your scar is sexy. It makes me think about doing things to you, things that maybe I haven’t done either…”

Rey trailed off, meeting his eyes with a shy grin on her own face. 

\--------------------------------------------------

Ben really, truly hadn’t intended on sleeping with Rey on their first night together. Especially without actually taking her out. And definitely not in his mother’s office. 

But she had started kissing him again, tracing the line down his cheek and to chest where the scar continued, unbuttoning his shirt as she went. He thought he had things under control, but then she ran her fingers up his neck and whispered in his ear -  _ “I’ve dreamed about this” -  _ and any remaining decency he was clinging to evaporated.

“You have no idea,” he responded, pulling her into his lap to run his lips down her long, slender neck. He couldn’t help but use his teeth. She smelled crisp and clean, like rosemary and lemon and he sucked hard enough that he hoped he left a small bruise to remind her the next day. Rey groaned, pushing her hips down into his and rubbing into the hardness she found there.

Her dress tied at the neck, and after a few moments of exploring her hair and neck and tawny shoulders, Ben felt his hands settle on the gauzy knot. His thick fingers fumbled with it, terrified to tear the delicate fabric. Rey giggled, and taking mercy on him, slipped the fabric over her head and down the front. 

The fabric pooled around the bottom of her breasts as she held it up, glancing up at him shyly. He felt his breath hitch as he took in the sight of her for the first time.

“God, you’re perfect,” he exhaled, reaching his hand out tentatively to graze the soft swell of her chest. He began to babble, suddenly unable to keep his mouth shut. 

“Shit, your tits are perfect, Rey. Just the right size – they fit in my hands  _ perfectly.”  _ She moaned loudly and arched beneath him as he ran his hand, over her, thumbing her nipple gently. 

Ben had the presence of mind to realize that he was nervous. Unfortunately, his mouth was also in on the secret.

“Rey, I don’t know what I’m doing. But somehow, it feels right, okay? It’s okay, because it’s you. Does this feel right for you?” 

She leaned back, grinning widely, and nodded. “There’s no way it could feel wrong.”

_ This could never feel wrong _ , he agreed as he tasted her for the first time. She was sweet and strong and he took his time licking every inch of her. He knew his hands were big, but feeling how tight she was around his fingers as he slid them inside of her was unimaginable. “You’re so wet,” he whispered with reverence, and then made her come with her legs around his shoulders.

_ This could never feel wrong _ , he thought as he watched her take the tip of him between her pretty lips. “You’re huge,” she had said, her voice somewhere between a whisper and a moan. Eyes rolling back in his head and dangerously close, he had to force himself to think about anything other than the fact that she couldn’t take him all the way in her mouth no matter how hard she tried.

_ This could never feel wrong _ , he knew as he fucked up into her. He had started slow, easing into her until she started whining and writhing and then when she moaned, “Please Ben, I need more,” he was more than happy to oblige her. The sight of Rey above him, taking in every inch of him as deep as she could as she fell apart again sent him over the edge with her. 

And as he pulled out of her, bringing her tight to his chest and swirling circles on her back until she fell asleep, the last thought he had was a whisper into her hair, “Nothing in my life has ever felt this right.” 

\--------------------------------------------

Ben woke up with a jolt, the eerie feeling of several sets of eyes watching him. He heard a gasp, and then a choking sound, like someone couldn’t catch their breath.

_Fuck. I know that’s my mother._ Ben briefly considered holding his breath until he passed out. Anything to return to peaceful obliviousness. 

He turned his head to see the woman in question stalking towards him, fists clenched and eyes blazing.

“Mom. Leia. Listen. Okay, NO. HEY! NO. I SAID NO. Do not grab this blanket! I swear you do not want to see what is underneath…”

His mother groaned in disgust, stalking off to reveal two frightened, but handsome, young men behind her. “Rey?” the one with curly hair offered.

Rey stirred, and Ben’s heart flip-flopped as her face broke into a content smile, eyes meeting his. Then he watched as her grin melted into sheer horror, realizing the situation the two of them had fucked their way into.

“Hey Poe. Hey Finn. Ummmm…how was the haunted house?”

_ Is she pretending like we’re not lying here naked? Like my mother’s office doesn’t reek of sex? _

The darker-skinned man answered first. “Well, pretty good Rey. Until you fucking disappeared. We’ve spent the last 3 hours looking for you. We finally found Mrs. Organa and were headed up here to call the police, and….well…” He motioned towards them like he was revealing the grand prize on a gameshow.

Rey giggled nervously. Ben groaned. A voice from further in the room laughed, “Well, kid, I always knew you were a fuck up, but this really takes the cake.”

“SON OF A BITCH! What are you doing here, Uncle Luke?”

Suddenly, his mother was back. She took a healthy swig from the bottle of gin she was now holding in one hand. “He’s here searching for this sweet young woman. The one that you have apparently taken advantage….”

Rey interjected, sticking the hand not clutching the blanket out politely. “It’s so nice to meet you Mrs. Organa. I’m Rey, Ben’s girlfriend.”

Leia’s eyes narrowed, looking first at the beautiful girl before her, then panning to the absolutely smitten look on the face of her only son. To Ben’s relief, his mother smiled, shrugging and setting down the bottle. She reached out with both hands and clasped Rey’s in hers. 

“It’s so wonderful to meet you, dear. Now why don’t you both get a little more…uh…decent, and we can all go out for a late dinner. I would love to hear all about how you two met!”

\--------------------------------------------------

“What in actual hell just happened?” Ben stood dumbfounded with his pants in his hand. 

They were finally alone. Rey giggled as she pulled her dress back on. 

“I don’t know about you, but I just had the most amazing sex of my life.”

Ben rolled his eyes, “Rey, apparently you just had the  _ only _ sex of your life.”

“Still,” she shrugged her shoulders as she pulled her hair back, “I think I could get used to this. Fucking you, that is, not waking up naked in your mother’s office.”

“Yeah?” Ben’s lips simply weren’t used to smiling this much in such a short period of time. “Well, you’re in luck, because I’m not going anywhere.”

Rey stood on tip toes, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Perfect. Now hurry up, we don’t want to keep everyone waiting.”

He had found an old tee shirt of his father’s in a closet – he pulled it on quickly, and watched her ass as she walked out the door and down the stairs. 

“And Ben? Make sure you grab that phantom costume. I have a feeling we might need it again after dinner.”

**Author's Note:**

> i am spending most of my time on [twitter](https://twitter.com/obsessivepro) nowadays - come yell at me there!


End file.
